Partners are valuable allies to the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and play a vital role in meeting the Service's conservation goals. We team up with private conservation organizations, state and federal agencies and tribes. Together, with the landowner, this collective shares funding, materials, equipment, labor and expertise to meet restoration goals and our conservation mission.

Partnership Categories

Great things happen when partners are matched with the right opportunities. That's why we work with many types of partners at FWS from local businesses and conservation groups to veterans and large industry partners. Here are just a few of the Partner Categories working with FWS today.

Academic Institutions

We frequently partner with academia to further the conservation of and research into the stewardship of many species.

Conservation, Science, and Land Management Organizations

We often partner with non-governmental conservation organizations on conservation projects, whether it's to conserve identified species such as the monarch butterfly or to advise on land acquisition for conservation so that it has the greatest benefit for species.

Economic, Tourism, Retail, and Industry

We partner with these groups to help them conduct their commercial activities in a way that best promotes conservation.

Federal Agencies

We work with other federal agencies to help them meet their legal responsibilities as well as their mission.

Friends Groups

Friends groups are organizations of community members committed to helping national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries meet conservation goals that would otherwise be out of reach. 

View Partnership Categories

Our Partners

Here are just a few of our national partners.  You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

View Full Partner List

Latest Stories About Our Partners

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee points out a monarch caterpillar on a milkweed plant to a girl
Join the Monarch Blitz, July 26 - August 4
We're ready to participate in the eighth edition of the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz. The Monarch Blitz provides a unique opportunity for individuals and organizations in Canada, Mexico and the United States to join forces across international borders to safeguard this iconic North...
An underwater close up of a small grey speckled fish.
Science and Technology
Rare Nevada desert fish receive funding for recovery
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Reno, Nevada, received $115,000 during fiscal year 2024 from the Inflation Reduction Act to aid in scientific monitoring for Clover Valley and Independence Valley speckled dace, both of which are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The monitoring is...
Participants in a Hunter Education Safety Class at the Cherry Valley NWR
For Parents and Educators
State and Refuge Partners Host Hunter Education Course For the First Time
Sunday June 30, 2024 was a culmination of many years of effort to bring a hunter safety class to Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge staff in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Friends of Cherry Valley hosted nearly 40 students who completed their requirements for...
A wood turtle with yellow highlights around the legs and neck
Our Partners
New resource provides guidance for wood-turtle friendly forest management
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Alliance of Forest Owners, and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., have released a new resource that provides guidance for forest managers to support wood turtles on their woodlands. The guidance document is the first landowner...
The orange arm of a construction excavator reaches into a river to break apart a dam
Habitat Restoration
Of herring and humans
Taunton residents lived with the specter of dam failures for decades, as structures that once harnessed the Mill River’s power fell into disrepair. A wake-up call in the early 2000s led to a restored waterway that not only increases public safety but also offers river herring and other migratory...
man standing on a flooded road
History and Culture
A fix for flooding and fish passage
After more than a decade, two culvert replacement projects will provide peace of mind to a small northern California coastal Tribal community and restore fish passage to the Klamath River.

Partnership Services

A group of people in a field
Image Details

Through our partnerships we are able to expand our capabilities through the inclusion of services in areas such as:

  • Grant opportunities
  • Sponsorship of grants
  • Cooperative Agreements

To find out more about how our partner provides services view our partner services below.

View Partner Services